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1 Flowers (all, or at least many) solitary on scapes |
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5 Petals 6-30 mm long, clawed |
5 Petals 2-4 mm long, not clawed |
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6 Stems angular distally; blooming Apr to early Jun |
6 Stems not angular distally; blooming Apr to Oct |
3 Leaves not clasping at base. |
7 Petals with contrasting dark yellow, brown, maroon, or purple veins; [tribe Brassiceae] |
8 Petals yellow; basal leaves with 3-10 lobes per margin; stems usually sparsely to densely hispid basally; cauline leaf blades usually lobed (but fewer than basal leaves) |
8 Petals yellow or creamy white; basal leaves with 1-4 lobes per margin; stems sparsely to densely pubescent; cauline leaf blades often undivided |
7 Petals mostly uniform in color. |
9 Ovaries and young fruits 2-segmented; petals 5-30 mm long; [tribe Brassiceae] |
10 Stem leaves pinnatifid |
10 Stem leaves entire, serrate, or sinuate |
11 Valves of the fruit 1-veined; sepals erect or ascending (rarely spreading); terminal segment of fruit conic, usually seedless |
11 Valves of the fruit 3-7-veined (1-veined in Rhamphospermum nigrum); sepals spreading to reflexed; terminal segment of fruit either linear or ensiform (flattened and 2- edged). |
12 Terminal segment of fruit linear 0.1-1.6 cm long, seedless or 1-seeded. |
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9 Ovaries and young fruits unsegmented; petals 1-8 mm long. |
13 Inflorescence leafy bracteate (most of the pedicels subtended by bracts) |
13 Inflorescence not bracteate (occasionally with some lower pedicels bearing bracts). |
14 Stigmas distinctly 2- lobed; [tribe Sisymbrieae] |
14 Stigmas entire, rarely indistinctly 2- lobed; [tribe Cardamineae] |
2 Flowers white, cream, pinkish, purple, lavender, or blue. |
15 Leaves strictly basal, or both basal and cauline and also auriculate. |
16 Plants with only basal leaves or cauline leaves much reduced. |
17 Plants annual; flowers zygomorphic; petals 0.5-2.5 mm long; [tribe Iberideae] |
17 Plants annual or perennial; flowers actinomorphic; petals absent, rudimentary, or to 16 mm long; [tribe Cardamineae] |
16 Plants with some well-developed cauline leaves. |
18 Ovaries and young fruits ovate, orbicular or cordate. |
19 Ovules 1 per ovary; [tribe Calepineae] |
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20 Ovules 2 (rarely 4) per ovary; [tribe Lepidieae] |
20 Ovules 6-16 per ovary. |
21 Leaves mostly entire; plants not fetid; [tribe Noccaeeae] |
21 Leaves often toothed; plants fetid; [tribe Thlaspideae] |
18 Ovaries and young fruits linear. |
22 Plants aquatic or semi-aquatic; rooting at nodes; [tribe Cardamineae] |
22 Plants terrestrial, though sometimes growing partially submerged; not rooting at nodes. |
23 Flowers blue, rarely pink or white; petals 12-32 mm long; [tribe Brassiceae] |
23 Flowers white, sometimes pink or purple; petals <16 mm long. |
24 Petals larger, conspicuous, 7-16 mm long. |
25 Cauline leaves simple or pinnately to palmately compound, typically not auriculate; if simple and auriculate, then plants usually with a mix of compound and simple cauline leaves and the simple leaves ovate or oblong and never deeply pinnatifid (as in C. clematitis) |
25 Cauline leaves conspicuously or slightly auriculate, always simple; blades elliptic, lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, deeply pinnatifid to entire |
26 Basal leaves oblanceolate, unlobed; petals white to cream |
26 Basal leaves incised or lyrate- lobed; petals white to pinkish-purple |
24 Petals smaller, inconspicuous, < 7 mm long. |
27 Cauline leaves sessile; [tribe Boechereae] |
27 Cauline leaves usually petiolate; [tribe Cardamineae] |
15 Leaves basal and cauline but not auriculate ( basal leaves sometimes withering upon flowering, thus only appearing alternate). |
28 Plants aquatic, rooting at nodes; [tribe Cardamineae]. |
29 Submersed leaves dissected into filiform segments |
29 Leaves not dissected into filiform segments |
28 Plants terrestrial, though sometimes growing partially submersed; not rooting at nodes. |
30 Stamens 2 or 4 (per individual flower). |
31 Ovaries and young fruits linear; [tribe Cardamineae] |
31 Ovaries and young fruits ovate, orbicular or cordate. |
32 Flowers zygomorphic; filaments appendaged; [tribe Iberideae] |
32 Flowers actinomorphic; filaments not appendaged; [tribe Lepidieae] |
30 Stamens 6 (per individual flower). |
33 Petals 15-30 mm long; fruit conspicuously coin-like, oblong to suborbicular and latiseptate (flattened parallel to septum); [tribe Lunarieae] |
33 Petals rarely to 20 mm long; fruit ovate to linear (if rounded not strongly flattened like a coin, or if flattened the fruit long and slender as in Warea). |
34 Inflorescence corymbose; claws (of the petals) strongly differentiated from blades; fruit latiseptate and stipitate, linear in shape; [natives of sandhills and coastal plain, NC to s. MS] |
34 Inflorescence elongate or corymbose (if so, not also collectively as above); claws differentiated or not from blades; fruit terete, latiseptate, or augustiseptate (flattened perpindicular to septum), stipate or not, linear to ovate in shape; [widespread natives and non-natives] |
35 Ovaries and young fruits 2-segmented; [tribe Brassiceae] |
35 Ovaries and young fruits unsegmented. |
36 Ovaries and young fruits ovate, orbicular or cordate; [tribe Lepidieae] |
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37 Ovules 2 (-4) per ovary |
36 Ovaries and young fruits linear. |
38 Petals with contrasting dark veins; [tribe Brassiceae] |
38 Petals mostly uniform in color. |
39 Leaves smelling of garlic when crushed, reniform or cordate, dentate; [tribe Thlaspideae] |
39 Leaves not smelling of garlic, rarely reniform or cordate, with margins various. |
40 Cauline leaves sessile; [tribe Boechereae] |
40 Cauline leaves usually petiolate; [tribe Cardamineae]. |
41 Base of plant usually glabrous; seeds not winged |
41 Base of plant pubescent; seeds winged |
1 Fruits silicles (< 3× as long as wide). |
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3 Plants succulent, leaves usually fleshy |
3 Plants herbaceous, not succulent, leaves not fleshy |
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4 Fruits 2 cm or more wide |
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5 Fruits with 20 or more seeds |
5 Fruits with 16 or fewer seeds. |
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6 Fruits with 2-16 seeds. |
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8 Fruits with more than 2 seeds. |
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10 Stems 5-12 (-20) dm tall; leaf blades of basal leaves (3-) 5-12 (-17) cm long |
10 Stems 0.5-1.5 (-2) dm tall; leaf blades of basal leaves 0.3-1.5 (-2) cm long |
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11 Plants not fetid; seeds usually smooth, yellowish to medium brown |
11 Plants fetid; seeds striate or alveolate, dark gray to dark brown or black |
1 Fruits siliques (> 3× as long as wide). |
12 Fruits indehiscent or breaking into 1-seeded segments. |
13 Fruits not segmented, 1-seeded |
13 Fruits segmented, usually more than 1-seeded. |
14 Styles obsolete; plants glabrous; [coastal] |
14 Styles 1-5 mm; plants pubescent; [inland] |
12 Fruits dehiscent, more than 1-seeded. |
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16 Cauline leaf blade bases auriculate (except B. juncea); terminal silique segment seedless (rarely 1-2-seeded), conic |
16 Cauline leaf blade bases not auriculate; terminal silique segment 1-5-seeded (sometimes 0). |
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17 Fruit valves 3-7-veined. |
18 Valves of the fruit 3 (-5) veined |
18 Valves of the fruit 3-5 (-7) veined. |
19 Terminal segment of fruit linear 0.1-1.6 cm long, seedless or 1-seeded. |
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20 Fruits (all, or at least some) solitary, borne on scapes |
20 Fruits in racemes (or corymbose clusters). |
21 Fruits latiseptate (flattened parallel to the septum). |
22 Replums strongly flattened; fruit valves dehiscing elastically, coiled |
22 Replums terete or rounded; fruit valves not dehiscing elastically or coiled. |
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24 Fruit stipitate; cauline leaves entire, not auriculate; flowers pink to purple (or white in Warea carteri), [natives of sandhills and coastal plain, NC to s. MS] |
24 Fruit sessile or short- stipitate; cauline leaves usually lobed or at least dentate, the bases auriculate or somewhat clasping; flowers yellow; [non-natives, widespread] |
23 Seeds winged at least distally. |
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21 Fruits terete or 4-angled. |
26 Plants aquatic or semi-aquatic; rooting at nodes |
26 Plants terrestrial, though rarely growing partially submersed; not rooting at nodes. |
27 Fresh leaves smelling of garlic when crushed, reniform or cordate, dentate |
27 Fresh leaves not smelling of garlic when crush, rarely reniform or cordate, dentate or not. |
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29 Stigma lobes obviously decurrent |
29 Stigma lobes sometimes distinct but not decurrent. |
30 Lower cauline leaves entire or dentate. |
31 Cauline leaves spaced, not concealing stem, spreading to slightly ascending; petals 7-12 mm long |
32 Basal leaves obovate to oblanceolate, unlobed; cauline leaves entire; siliques 8-13 cm long |
32 Basal leaves incised or lyrate- lobed; cauline leaves with dentate to serrate margins; siliques 2-4 cm long |
31 Cauline leaves usually ascendant and concealing stems (at least basally); petals 2-5 mm long (except for 5-10 mm long in B. missouriensis) |
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33 Terminal leaflet lobes nearly entire to crenate or undulate |
33 Terminal leaflet lobes sharply toothed or cut |
34 Basal leaves usually withered by flowering; cauline leaf lobes entire to lyrately lobed; usually petals white to pink; [native of riparian habitats] |
34 Basal leaves usually present at flowering or after; cauline leaves with linear, filiform, lyrate, or runcinate lobes (occasionally unlobed, but if so then leaves usually linear or otherwise thin); petals yellow; [non-natives of various habitats] |